When I first watchedSenna, I knew nothing about Ayrton Senna. I knew nothing about Formula One racing, either, and to be perfectly honest — apologies to enthusiasts — had I known the movie was about Formula One racing, I wouldn't have watched it.

Which would have been a shame. Senna is one of those documentaries that's clearly deeply meaningful to fans — the adulation from fellow Brazilians and the Formulas One community approaches religion — but it also happens to be viscerally engaging for those with no prior interest in the subject (see also: The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters). I had real goose bumps as the crowd chanted Senna's name after he won in Brazil (watch this video of a Senna chant fourteen years after his death, to give you some idea of his level of fame). I loathed Alain Prost, Senna's cartoonishly cocky French rival. I got secondhand butterflies watching Senna seduce television host Xuxa on her show (this is a fun read about her). The documentary captures Senna's deep religious conviction and passion for his home country; the frustrations of fighting the extremely political Formula One and Williams-Renault, the team whose car eventually killed him; his unbearably truncated career and instinctive talent. Senna, its final heartbreak earned by filmmaker Asif Kapadia, may be among the best documentaries ever made, but it's certainly among the best you can watch on Netflix right now.